Ralph Nicholson (c1816-1898), my great great grandfather, had a narrow escape from drowning in 1860. Here’s the story. Brims is an area in the parish of Walls, Orkney, part of the island of Hoy. This map shows Brims and the North Bay. The loss of a boat load of peats, fuel for the winter, would | more…
This week’s topic for the 52 ancestors challenge is strong woman. There’s quite a lot of choice among my ancestors but I’ve picked Auntie Violet, actually my grand aunt, sister of my grandmother Jessie. Unlike all the ancestors I’ve written about so far, I knew her and this blog includes my recollections as well as | more…
Testament. Not the old and new but a collective name for all the documents to do with the administration of a dead person’s estate. It could include: an inventory of their moveable possessions (cash, bank accounts, farm stock, furniture for example) perhaps a will setting out who was to receive what. If so the documents | more…
